


Larry Gives Guidance

by mphs95



Category: Balki Bartokomous - Fandom, Larry Appleton - Fandom, Perfect Strangers
Genre: Bonding, F/M, Gen, Humor
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-08-10
Updated: 2014-08-10
Packaged: 2018-02-11 20:12:28
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,834
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2081604
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mphs95/pseuds/mphs95
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Larry discovers Tucker is growing up when he finds something by accident.  He decided to have a chat with his eldest son, but will it succeed or will it go like his other great plans.....</p>
            </blockquote>





	Larry Gives Guidance

**Author's Note:**

> I've always thought that the dynamic between Larry and his children would be an important one. When Larry wasn't being a show off, he could be very wise.
> 
> To get a better handle of my PS world, read MY PERFECT STRANGERS HISTORY first, but it's optional.

**AUGUST 2010**

 

Larry and Jennifer walk in the front door laughing, followed by Balki and Mary Anne. After Larry closed the door, he was greeted by an excited Balki. "Oh Cousin! I loved that movie! It's my favorite one! It's going to win an Oswald!"

Larry nodded, looked at his wife, and turned back to his cousin. "That's Oscar, Balki…Oscar, and you said that about the last two movies"

"Larry, how could you not cry and feel the emotion of the film?" Mary Anne replied "Their emotional upheaval due to Andy leaving thinking they were abandoned and going to a new place, followed by the betrayal at the hands of their friend could have caused them permanent emotional conflict with future relationships"

While Larry and Jennifer looked at Mary Anne in bewilderment, Balki put his arms around his wife. "You are so insightful my Lamb Shank. _Toy Story_ is so beautiful….." They stared at each other for a moment and then each said "Cuddle Break!" before running out the door.

Jennifer laughed. "Oh Larry, they are so cute! So affectionate with each other after all these years"

"Yes, yes, they are" Larry said as he watched Jennifer as she hung up their coats. "Where are the kids?"

"Tucker and Robbie should be home from the Maroon 5 concert around one o'clock. Lexie should be home by now with Yanna..."

The beginning guitar riff from Hinder's _All American Nightmare_ blasted from under the floor, followed by drumming. "…and the girls are practicing and will probably fall asleep downstairs again. The twins are over at Balki and Mary Anne's for their sleepover with Mamma and Dimitri"

The guitar music ends. Larry and Jennifer smile for a moment before the beginning guitar chords of Airborne Toxic Event's _Gasoline_ started to play.

"Remind me to kill Elaine for introducing Lexie to that…thing! She just couldn't stop with the piano…" Larry grimaced. "What about Dillon? When we left, he was playing…World of Warcraft with Lucifer and Stoker. Larry pondered for a moment. "Only a son of mine would have a friend named Lucifer"

"Lucy is actually a very sweet girl, Larry. She and Stoker are good kids and you know it.  I just don't understand why their parents would name their twins after Dracula"

"Besides the fact that their parents own the horror comic store down the block from the Chronicle? Who knows?" Suddenly, a light bulb went off in Larry's head as they walked to the couch and sat down. "I just realized that we are actually…" He looks around the living room. "…..almost alone?"

Jennifer got a smile on her face. "Yes, maybe even for an entire hour"

Larry looked at his wife with as much lust as he felt the first time he met her in the Ritz Discount Store almost 25 years before. "Good" was all he got out right before he started making out with his wife on the couch.

"Larry" Jennifer giggled as her husband nibbled her. "What about our daughter and Yanna?"

He stopped and looked down. "Jennifer, when has she stopped playing that damn guitar before we yelled at her to stop? She doesn't care what we do. I'm sure Yanna feels the same way about Balki and Mary Anne"

"Good point" Jennifer replied before the couple continued where they left off. When he couldn't help himself his hands went under her sweater, pushing it up, and both inadvertently groaned. Suddenly, he lifted and looked down at her. "Can we play _Strict Schoolmarm and Naughty Student_ again?"

Jennifer thought for a moment and looked at her husband. The hair was shorter and was streaked with gray, but the cute face and soulful eyes still had her heart every time she looked at them. "I did get a new ruler…."

Just then, the door opened and Tucker walked in, followed by a taller young man with dark hair and eyes. When Tucker saw his parents on the couch, his jaw dropped as he dropped his coat. "Uh…uh"

Robbie stood next to Tucker at a loss for words and then said a quick "Bye" as he ran out the door.

Larry and Jennifer looked up surprised. "Tucker!" he said, not noticing his shirt was half pulled out of his pants as Jennifer hid behind him. "I…I…thought you weren't coming home until later"

"I…..our plans….changed after the concert" he muttered while hiding his face. "Uhhhhh, gotta go" he stuttered before he ran towards the kitchen.

Chagrined, Larry got up and moved to pick up Tucker's coat. As he lifted it from the floor, a row of condoms dropped out of his pocket. After his moment of shock, he hurriedly put them in his pocket and turned to Jennifer, who was pulling down her sweater. He was torn between finishing what he and Jennifer started and talking to Tucker but knew what he had to do. "Sweetheart, why don't you meet me upstairs and I can lock up and talk to Tucker about his day"

"Sure, Larry" Jennifer gave him a quick kiss. "Take time with our son but not too much. He is eighteen now you know….plus I get cold when you are not there"

He inhaled deeply as he kissed his wife again. "As soon as I can, believe me"

When Jennifer made it upstairs, Larry walked into the kitchen. Tucker was there eating a sandwich and chasing it with a Maalox. He marveled at how much his eldest took after Jennifer, but with dark, curly hair, and a short, slight build. Along with Jennifer's looks, he inherited his mother's neurotic need for perfection, but the rest of his personality was all Appleton. This conversation would be unpredictable, however and Larry hoped for the best.

Tucker looked up and shoveled the rest of the sandwich in his mouth. "Well, Good Night, Dad" He said with his mouth full. He moved quickly to leave the kitchen but was stopped by his father.

"Come on, Tucker......" Larry said with his sarcastic smile. "….have a chat with your old man. We haven't had time to talk in a while, especially about these" He pulled the condoms out of his pocket and held them up.

Tucker's brown eyes grew large, followed by his face turning several shades of red. Defeated, he walked to the table with his father with his head hung low. After an awkward moment, each turned to the other.

"Tucker –"

"Dad—"

After a moment, Tucker moved to speak. "We didn't do anything. We were interrupted by her house mother" Realizing what he said, Tucker muttered "Oh, God" before focusing intently on the table.

Larry sat for a moment, taking in what his son told him. "Well….Son….wait a minute! You were in her bedroom?!"

Tucker looked up slightly. "Yeah, but I guess I made a noise and before I knew it, her house mother came in and saw us. Man, it was going to be the best night of my life!" He babbled before he realized what he said.

Larry chuckled for a moment before the gravity of his son's words kicked in and he pondered his words carefully. "Tucker, while I do appreciate your frustration….." He said as Tucker hid his face in horror.

"Dad, please, you already talked to me about this stuff….."

"Well, we're talking about this again. Just because the mood is right doesn't mean it's the right time, son. Trust me when I say that when the time is right, the mood will be there, and it will be better than you can imagine."

Tucker's face turned several shades of red. "Come on, Dad. We are not talking about this. It's too embarrassing!" Before Larry could say anything else, Tucker went up to his attic bedroom, leaving the elder man alone in the kitchen.

Forgetting about his plans with Jennifer, Larry started a pot of coffee, grabbed a cookie and sat at the table. His words to Tucker echoed back to him. _'When the time is right, the mood will be there, and it will be better than you can imagine'_

"Oh, Tucker…..if you only knew how much I know of what I speak" as he started to remember an old memory.

*************************************************************

**October 1990**

_Larry was lying in his bed with bag of frozen peas on his forehead in an attempt to stem the swelling above his eye. If he had a headache, he didn't feel it. All he could think about was the evening's events. After two weeks of misery, he screwed up his courage to tell Jennifer he loved her and proposed. To his surprise, Jennifer turned down the chance to be the wife of a business scion with a sports car to have a life with him, a neurotic newspaper reporter who was pretty sure their children would be short._

_"I still can't believe she picked me over Bill" Larry said in amazement. Nothing could bring him down from the cloud he was riding. Just then he heard a knock on his door. "Come in Balki"_

_The door opened followed by his best friend and the one who helped him get to where he was tonight. "How did you it was Balki?"_

_"Who else would be knocking at my bedroom door at 12:30 am?"_

_"Me"_

_Larry moved with a start, knocking the peas off his head. Balki came inside, followed by Jennifer. "Is it too late to drop by?"_

_"Never" Larry replied with stars in his eyes and love in his heart as he recovered his senses._

_Seeing the way his cousin and his now fiancée were looking at each other, Balki knew when to leave. "Okay, Cousin, I'm going to blow this hot dog stand. Mary Anne and I are going to watch a reptile show on National Geographic upstairs"_

_Larry and Jennifer continued to watch each other. "You do that, Balki" Jennifer said. "Take all the time you want"_

_Balki looked bewildered. "Okay" he said meekly before closing the bedroom door. After taking a few steps, he stopped, thought for a minute and then his eyes grew big as he mouthed silently "Wooowww!"_

_He quickly walked to the fridge, grabbed one of his Myposian treats, hurried out of the apartment singing "Going to da chapel a-a-a-and Cousin Larry's getting married….."_

_After hearing the apartment door close, Jennifer laid on the bed next to Larry on her side so they were face to face, the only glow coming from the night life of Chicago outside his bedroom window._

_Larry smiled at his fiancée, captivated by her brown eyes. "Jennifer, I love you"_

_Jennifer smiled back, lost in Larry's soulful green eyes. "Oh, Larry, I love you too. I'm sorry that I gave you that stupid ultimatum about seeing other people. I should have just be-"_

_Larry he gently shushed her. "Don't be sorry. I'm sorry I took this long to tell you how I felt about you. I'm the idiot"_

_"Oh, Larry….I was so scared that you didn't feel as strongly as I felt about you. I know that we've…..I…..have held back in certain areas and that you were a gentleman about it and understanding about why all this time. I hate admitting it, but when we were not moving forward, I was afraid that you might have been starting to get sick of waiting around for me"_

_She started to turn away, but Larry held her face gently in his palm. "Jennifer, when it comes to you, I would have waited forever, because we have something more special that just sex. You have been hurt in the past. So was I. Meeting you was a dream come true, so if you wanted to wait until you had a true commitment before making love, there's nothing wrong with that" Larry cracked a smile and his cocky suave voice came out. "We did have some fun moments though over the last few years"_

_Jennifer smiled. "Prom night and the back seat of your Mustang will never be the same again" as she remembered Balki's prom after graduating high school._

_Her face and tone then sobered. "Larry, seriously, because of my, well, neurotic tendencies and fear of getting my heart broken, instead of talking to you about where our relationship was heading, I broke up with you and went on dates with Bill Madden. I almost accepted a proposal from an ex-boyfriend who broke my heart the first time around."_

_Larry looked her in the eyes. "Jenn, I should have told you a long time ago how I felt about you. Instead, I let my issues with trust, my own neurosis about a guy like me with a girl like you, and my fear of losing you lead me to giving my approval to date your ex-boyfriend. What kind of a man lets the woman he loves do that!?_

_"Larry Appleton" she replied with a straight face before she burst out laughing, followed by Larry. After about a minute, they came together in a kiss, beginning sweet and simple, but slowly deepening._

_Over the next several minutes, soulful kissing turned into neck nibbling on Larry's end and roaming hands from both people. Each were getting lost in their love for each other, satisfied that each were where they wanted to be, together, now and always._

_After what seemed like a lifetime, Larry regained his sense of balance and eased off from Jennifer. His tie was askew and his shirt was half pulled out of his trousers. He did nothing but watch her for a moment._

_Her dress had one strap down her shoulder. Though the lights outside he could see Jennifer's eyes slightly glaze over in a pleasant haze of love and lust while her skin was flushed. It was times like these he was grateful to have some semblance of self-control, each time a little less than before._

_However, the self-control was barely hanging by a thread. Seeing the woman he loved beneath him made him want to fully express his love for her. He wanted to ensure she did not make a mistake by choosing him over guys that were more handsome and poised but also that Jennifer would not regret any intimacy with him. Larry gave a silent prayer to the gods for letting this gorgeous creature fall in love with him._

_Jennifer was looking up at Larry full of love. Larry Appleton was completely opposite the type of guy she used to date. Guys from her past were self-assured, handsome, and usually tall. They were also shallow, vapid, and usually put their needs above her own._

_Meeting Larry was unexpected but wonderful. She fought it initially, but what was a casual friendship turned into casual dating and evolved into a relationship of equals. With Larry, she could be herself, warts and all. He could be annoying when he got jealous and the lying for her admiration sometimes ticked her off, but he was also kind, loving, saw her as more than a hot blonde with a great body, and most of all, would always be there to catch her if she fell._

_When she saw the depth of love in Larry's eyes, she knew she was home to stay. She also knew that she was ready to take the next step with the man she planned to live her life with._

_Larry saw the swarm of emotions in her eyes and knew something had changed. Before he could ask, Jennifer kissed him with a ferocity he never felt before. She broke the kiss, leaving him momentarily rocked before he realized the meaning behind it. "Jenn, are you sure?"_

_She smiled back at him. "I'm more than ready. I love you Larry Appleton and want to spend the rest of my life with you"_

_His thread of self-control broken, he responded to her and matched each kiss, each caress, each sigh with one of his own. All the frustrated nights were worth the night of love they had now and future nights they would have forever._

_As long as Balki stayed upstairs…_

_********************************************************************_

Larry smiled as he remembered that night. He felt a love for Jennifer that only increased since that first night. As much as he never wanted to think of his children, particularly his daughters, having sex, he wanted them to know the difference between making love and a roll in the hay. The latter was fun, but the former was much more fulfilling.

Smelling coffee, he got up and poured a cup. Sitting down at the table, he looked at his coffee, then his cookie. "Well, Balki is next door hopefully sleeping through the chaos of three children with Mamma and I've managed to traumatize my son, so let's go for broke"

He dipped his cookie into the coffee and just as it reached his mouth, Tucker shuffled back into the kitchen. "Dad?"

At that moment, the cookie broke. Larry's moment of annoyance took a back seat as he realized he had more pressing matters than a broken cookie. "Hey Tucker. Want some coffee?"

"Sure" Tucker walked over, poured a cup of his own before sitting with his father at the table. He also grabbed a cookie and dipped it, but just as it would have been eaten, it also broke. Father and son shared a small smile.

Knowing that Tucker needed to control the conversation, Larry remained silent. While his son was wiring up his courage, he remembered events in Tucker's life….his birth in the balloon, first steps with Robbie at the same time…..his first day of kindergarten…pictures before the boys left for Prom….his and Robbie's high school graduation when each boy made the co-salutatorian speech two months earlier.

Tucker was all grown up. As scary and it was, Larry knew his son would be okay and trusted him to make the right decision.

Tucker interrupted his thoughts. "Dad, when is the right time?"

It took Larry about a second, but figured out what he meant. "Son, there's no time punch on something like this. Sometimes, you make some mistakes along the way so you learn to know what is real and what is not" Larry thought for a minute and then realized his son was old enough to understand. "Tucker, your mother wasn't the first woman I was…intimate with"

Tucker looked up shocked. "She wasn't?"

"No I-" he saw Tucker's face "No, it wasn't!" He thought for a minute and then began. "In high school…I was a socially awkward teenager"

"You were a dork, huh Dad?"

Larry looked at his son with a pout. "I was not a dork. I was in the school chorus, Chess club, Latin club…..who am I kidding? I was a dork"

Larry contemplated his words and then continued. "My junior year I had Algebra with Misty Fenmore. She was so beautiful and I was lucky enough to be her tutor. Afterward our first tutoring session, she said she wanted to go steady with me. I was on top of the world, spinning my future with Misty, telling everyone we were in love. I had no idea that she only wanted a good grade in Algebra out of me. To make matters worse, she was making fun of me behind my back with all the popular kids, including Bunky McDermott"

Before he could continue, a loud guitar riff roared out of the basement. Larry went to the basement door. "Lexie, enough! It's one in the morning!" A few minutes later, a young girl the spitting image of Jennifer with brown hair with one platinum blond streak and green eyes came up. She was followed by a second girl with blonde hair. "Wow…what's up?" Lexie asked

"I'm talking to your brother. You and Yanna need to go to bed or go next door"

"Man, I hate it when I have to leave the room. All the good stuff happens. Come on Yanna" she pouted as the two left the kitchen. A few seconds later, Larry walked to the kitchen door and hit it with his palm. "Ow!"

After watching the girls go upstairs with Lexie rubbing her ear, Larry headed back to Tucker. "She is an Appleton, all right. Sorry son….where was I…oh yeah"

He took a drink of his coffee before continuing.  "A week before finals, I stopped by her house for tutoring. I had decided I wanted her to come meet my family, something she avoided for weeks. When she put me off again, I got a small amount of spine that night and told her I didn't need her, and that she could study on her own. Well, I guess she freaked out because the next thing I knew, we were kissing on her living room floor. Of course, my hormones were through the roof so I couldn't think about the sudden shift in behavior"

"Needless to say, I lost my virginity that night. I remember feeling a bit off afterwards, but I thought it was normal. I remember….when things concluded…. that she extracted a promise out of me to help her study for our Algebra final"

"Well the Algebra finals came and Misty got an 'A'….and I got dumped. The last week of school I was the butt of everyone's joke as Misty convinced everyone I practically stalked her. I told people about being with her but no one believed me because she denied it. In my awkward teenage mind, I had always thought that sex brought two people together, but all it did was make me feel empty and used"

"What did you do, Dad? How did you get over it?"

Larry thought for a minute. "It wasn't easy and it took a long time. I dated other girls. Sometimes things progressed but all I felt afterwards was a quick high and then….nothing. When I moved to Chicago, Uncle Balki and I had a neighbor named Susan. Redhead and adorable. We tried to get together in between Balki worshiping her at her feet"

Seeing Tucker's face of puzzlement, he interjected. "Never mind. I went on a few dates with Susan but we couldn't click in a boyfriend/girlfriend way. She was kind, nice, we had a lot in common….she was perfect for me. After my lackluster love life of late, I couldn't understand why things were not working with the woman who was my ideal type"

"One day, about six months after Balki got here from Mypos, I was working at Twinkasetti's when this beautiful blonde came in"

"Mom?"

"Yep and I can honestly say I was punched in the gut with love and lust. She seemed so out of my league, so I joined Balki at the gym she and your Aunt Mary Anne worked at to show off in front of her. I was such a nervous wreck Balki had to ask her out for me"

Tucker started laughing while Larry merely smiled. "Laugh all you want, Son. If memory serves, wasn't it Robbie who introduced you to Amy since you were scared to talk to her?"

Tucker suddenly silenced. "That's what I thought. Where was I, oh yes, the night of our double date with your mom and Aunt Mary Anne, we were so sore we couldn't move. After we…. more me were put in our place by the girls for thinking they were just into jocks, we had a lot of fun. As time moved on, I still did stupid things to get her attention, but she seemed to like me anyway without the macho crap. Didn't always stop me from becoming jealous, and having moments of insanity, but over time we grew stronger and more in love. Without getting into specifics, let's just say that…..when the right time came along, the mood was perfect and it brought us even closer together. I will end at that to avoid scarring you for life"

Tucker looked to his dad and relaxed. "I really like Amy, Dad. She's fun, loves chess, and horror movies like I do. Tonight we, well were excited—"

"They're hormones, son. All men get them. Myself, Uncle Balki, probably Dillon in between World of Warcraft. Andy's should be kicking in within the next five years….God help us"

Tucker chucked for a second and then became serious. "I was really annoyed because…..because…"

Larry followed his hunch. "You're as pure as the driven snow and don't want to be anymore?"

Tucker nodded his head, amazed at his father's insight. "Dad, can I ask you something?"

"Sure, Tucker"

"Is it weird that I am frustrated but glad I didn't have sex at the same time? I guess I want what you and Mom have….what Uncle Balki and Aunt Mary Anne have" Tucker realized what he said. "I mean that—"

Larry put his hand on his eldest's shoulder. "I understand. Tucker that feeling is usually a sign that it wasn't the right time, but you have to do what is right for you, not your mom and I. I'm glad you want what your mom and I have though. It shows that for all our neurosis that the two of us did something right"

Tucker moved to hug his father. "Thanks, Dad"

"You're welcome" After releasing his son, Tucker went upstairs. After a few moments, Larry realized what he had waiting upstairs. As he was almost out of the kitchen entryway, there was a knock on the back door. Bewildered, he walked over and turned on the light, seeing Balki before letting him in.

"Balki" Larry said with a slight amount of impatience at his delay with Jennifer. "What are you doing here? It's the middle of the night"

"Cousin…I'm in a big mess of babasticki! Robespierre came home and it was like a blizzard came through"

"Tornado, Balki. Tornado. I was pretty sure he walked home…he ran out of my house earlier"

"Yes, Cousin, why he do that?"

"His house is next door, along with his bed and possessions" Larry contemplated his words. "Well, he also interrupted Jennifer and I"

"Doing what?"

Larry looked at Balki with a grin. "With what a husband and wife do…ah….ah"

After a moment, Balki looked at him bewildered. "Cousin, I don't know what you are talking about"

Larry waited a moment. "We were on the couch….getting close. Understand?"

Balki looked at Larry. "Of course I do, don't be ridiculous. You two were playing Boochi tag like Mary Anne and I were doing. I don't see why Robespierre went to his room. He's seen us play before"

Larry waited a moment. "Balki, that's not what we were doing"

"Then what Cousin?"

Larry looked over in amazement and amusement. Balki has grown up in many ways but in some has stayed the same. "Jennifer and I were making out when the boys came home!"

"Ooohhh….oh po po! That explains why he was asking me about things only married couples do that he wanted to do with his girlfriend. Cousin, what do I say to that? On Mypos, that type of things before marriage is not done. He's asking me questions that I can't answer. Mary Anne cried….thank goodness Mamma was with the children upstairs"

Larry put his arm around his cousin and went into his all knowing mode as he walked Balki to the back door. "Balki, keep the line of communication open. Talk to Robbie…..be honest with him. That's why my children always come to me to talk about these things"

"Does that include when Lexie went to Jennifer when she was dumped by that guy last month?"

"Balki"

"What about when Dillon wanted to ask that girl out? You know, the one who was Housecoming Queen at the kids' school? He came by to see me at the Chronicle asking for advice"

Larry walked Balki to the door keeping his temper in check. "That's Homecoming Queen…Homecoming Queen. Those don't count. In regards to Robbie, things will work out"

"Okay, thank you Cousin" Balki replied "Good night"

"Good night" Larry replied before shutting the door. As he was turning the lock, he heard his name.

Turning around, he saw Jennifer in nothing but his bathrobe. She opened it and Larry's eyes got large as Jennifer came to him. "You know, Larry. Lexie and Yanna are upstairs now, along with Tucker. Our other children will be gone until morning. I need to relax for a while. Want to help me fold laundry?"

Larry stared in disbelief for a moment. Even after over 20 years, Jennifer became more beautiful, and life with her only got better and richer. As his thought ended, his feelings of lust hit him with a vengeance.

"A…a….husband should always help his wife with the chores" he stuttered before grabbing her hand and took her into the laundry room and shut the door.

_"Oh Miss Lyons, teach me!"_


End file.
